by Thinus Ferreira
The TV news channel Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / StarSat 257) on Tuesday announced that Malaysia's police raided its Kuala Lumpur office and seized 2 computers in the country's "troubling escalation" in its crackdown on freedom of the press.
The Malaysia police raided Al Jazeera's office in Kuala Lumpur after the broadcast of a 101 East episode "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown" on 3 July 2020, in which Al Jazeera revealed the Malaysian government's shocking treatment of undocumented migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Malaysia's government the police raid on the TV news channel is because Al Jazeera is being investigated for "sedition, defamation and violation of the country's Communications and Multimedia Act"
In a statement, Giles Trendle, managing director of Al Jazeera English, says Al Jazeera is "gravely concerned" by the Malaysia raid and that Al Jazeera is calling on Malaysia to stop its criminal investigation against Al Jazeera and its journalists in the country.
"Conducting a raid on our office and seizing computers is a troubling escalation in the authorities' crackdown on media freedom and shows the lengths they are prepared to take to try to intimidate journalists."
"Al Jazeera stands by our journalists and we stand by our reporting. Our staff did their jobs and they've got nothing to answer for or apologise for. Journalism is not a crime."
The International Federation of Journalists in a statement demands that Malaysia's government drops the investigation against Al Jazeera.
"There has been a distinct pattern under the Covid-19 crisis of media workers targeted under Malaysia's Communications and Multimedia Act and Penal Code for simply doing their job."
"It is urgent for Malaysia during the pandemic to prioritise the public's right to know and for the media to be able to report freely and fairly without the threat of persecution."
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department deputy director (Investigation/Legal) Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid confirmed the raid on Al Jazeera’s KL bureau at Level 27 of GTower, near the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in the city centre.
The Malaysian police confirmed to Malaysia media in a statement that it raided Al Jazeera's office on Level 27 of GTower, near the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department deputy director (Investigation/Legal) Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid confirmed the raid on Al Jazeera’s KL bureau at Level 27 of GTower, near the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in the city centre.
"Yes, officers from the Classified Criminal Investigations Unit and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission raided the premises at 11.30am. This is part of our ongoing investigations," Bukit Aman, deputy director of Malaysia's Criminal Investigation Department, told Malay Mail.
